Yoan Moncada waits for a pitch during the eighth inning of the Portland Sea Dogs game with the Reading Phillies Sunday afternoon in Portland. Photo by Chris Lessner.
PORTLAND- Nate Freiman nailed a three run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday afternoon to help the Portland Sea Dogs avoid a three game sweep with a 9-8 win over the first place Reading Fightin Phils, in front of 6,631 fans at Hadlock Field in Eastern League baseball action.
The Sea Dogs took a 3-0 first inning lead highlighted when one of the top Red Sox prospects Yoan Moncada led off with a walk and after another walk put two on base with nobody out. Andrew Benintendi, another prospect the Red Sox are high on, then would hit a two run double to right center field.
Reading rallied with three of their own in the top of the second as Harold Martinez lined a two out, three run homer over the right center field wall to make it 3-3. Rhys Hoskins gave the Phils the lead with an RBI groundout in the top of the third followed by a two run single by Jake Fox to make it 6-3.
Portland wouldn’t go away as Cole Sturgeon hit a two out, two run single to cut it to 6-5 in the bottom of the third inning. But Jorge Alfaro smashed a two run homer over the Maine Monster in left in the top of the fourth to regain the three run lead for the Phils at 8-5.
Mauricio Dubon helped the ‘Dogs make it 8-6 with a one out RBI double in the bottom of the fourth and the score would hold there until the Portland home half of the eighth, setting the stage for Freiman.
Dubon flied out to right to begin the inning. Benintendi then singled to center and Cody Decker doubled to left to put runners on second and third with just one out. Freiman followed with a high towering three run homer that cleared the Monster in left to give Portland its first lead since the opening inning at 9-8.
Reading threatened in the ninth with runners on first and third and two outs but Fox popped the first pitch up to Freiman at first to end the game.
Jesmuel Valentin, Alfaro, Hoskins and Martinez all had two hits to lead Reading. Hoby Milner (4-1) took the loss in relief. It was his fourth blown save of the year. Starting pitcher Tyler Viza only went four innings and allowed six runs on seven hits. Reading (53-23) will return home to host Erie Monday for a three game series beginning at 7:05 p.m.
Portland (27-47) was led by Benintendi who was 3 for 4 on the day with two RBI. Freiman, Moncada, Dubon and Sturgeon all had two hits a piece. Austin Maddox earned the win in relief throwing two scoreless innings, only allowing one hit, one walk, and had a pair of strikeouts. Starter Kevin McAvoy also only went four innings allowing eight runs on eight hits. The Sea Dogs now hit the road for a three games series with Trenton starting Monday night at 7 p.m.
So far this season the two highly regarded Red Sox prospects have had pretty good numbers while playing in Double A with the Sea Dogs. Benintendi is batting .268 with three homers and 22 RBI in 35 games. He is fourth in RBI and third in runs scored despite playing in fewer games. Moncada has been a recent callup from single A Salem. Moncada has played in five games going 8 for 24 for a .333 average. He also has a homer and 4 RBI. These two players are projected to very important to the Red Sox organization over the next several years.
Box Score
REA 0 3 3 2 0 0 0 0 0- 8 11 2
POR 3 0 2 1 0 0 0 3 x- 9 13 1
WP- Maddox (2-0) LP- Milner (4-1)
HR’s- Reading, H Martinez (5th, 2nd inning off McAvoy two on, two out); Alfaro (8th, 4th inning off McAvoy one on, two out); Portland, Freiman (5th, 8th inning off Milner two on, one out)
